Pinky Promise
by ATTHS
Summary: Mulder and Scully in the aftermath of the "You should try it sometime" comment. But, Mulder and Scully style, the roundabout way.


_Over the Rainbow_ played as Scully watched Sheila and Holman walk away, hands clasped and huge smiles on their faces. She could not help but smile as she watched them, obviously quite in love with one another.

She could feel Mulder at her side, his nervous energy almost palpable. She glanced at him, and she saw his jaw clench as he stared after the couple. She looked at him more intently, trying to catch his eye. He caught her look, and he glanced at her, clearing his throat. He hit his hands together, fists on top of each other.

"Mulder," she said, trying not to smile. "What did Holman mean?" He fidgeted a bit more, and she bit her cheek to stop her laughter.

"What did he mean about what?" he asked, not looking at her, but at the floor.

She could not stop her smile, so she turned slightly to hide it and give him a second to collect himself. He cleared his throat, and she turned back toward him.

"So, uh .. I don't think we'll be flying out tonight. Not only because of the weather, but I'm pretty sure that's our pilot over there," Mulder said, pointing toward the makeshift bar, toasting the people around him. Even from where she stood, Scully could see his cheeks were flushed from drinking.

"Huh," she said, nodding and crossing her arms. She bit her lip as she looked around at the happy revelers, living their normal humdrum lives. She sighed, releasing her lip, feeling a pang of jealousy at the easy carefree lives they must lead.

An apparently popular song among the class began to play and everyone cheered. They all gathered on the dance floor, shoving past her and Mulder. She caught his eye, and he nodded toward the exit, stepping in that direction. One more couple hurried past her, and she followed behind him.

He waited at the gym door and looked back at the crowd once more, a small smile on his face. She caught up and watched him watching them. He caught her eye again and opened the door, letting her go through first.

She hid a smile as she rubbed her hands together before locking her fingers. The woman at the sign in table wished them a good night, and Mulder answered in kind. Scully stopped in front of a case of trophies,

looking at them as if they were incredibly interesting. Mulder walked up beside her, and she could see him watching her in the glass.

"So, I was thinking as Holman and Sheila left, the advice you gave him must have been pretty good, for it to work so well, I mean. What exactly did you say to him?" she asked innocently, turning to him with wide eyes.

He scoffed and shrugged his shoulders, his hands spread wide. "You know, guy stuff," he said, tilting his head.

"Guy stuff? Hmmm," she said, nodding her head and looking back at the trophies.

"Yeah, guy stuff," he said, putting his hands in his pockets.

"I'm just curious what _guy stuff _a man who never dates and doesn't have a significant other could offer up to a man who is basically in the same situation," she said turning to him with her arms crossed.

"I mean, I wouldn't say _never_," he said, in a wounded tone.

"Mulder, do you have a secret life I don't know about? I've never heard you ever mention a .. date or someone you're seeing," she said, hopefully hiding the hurt she felt.

"Well .. it's been .. I haven't .. not for _a while, _but it doesn't mean I'm not _good_ at it," he said in a hurt tone, stepping away from her and heading for the outside door.

She raised her eyebrows and followed after him, hurriedly walking through the door and avoiding a rather large puddle. He was a few steps ahead of her, and she had to almost run to catch up.

"You're _good at it_, Mulder?" she asked, avoiding another puddle. "How would you quantify being _good_ at dating?"

He stopped walking, turned around, and stared at her. "How? Scully, I can be, no, I _am _very charming," he said, shaking his head. She caught up to him and stopped, watching his eyes.

"Yes, Mulder," she said, licking her lips. "I am aware you can be charming, that's not what I meant. I've seen your charm, been on the receiving end of it myself, but is _date charm _different than your regular run of the mill charm? I'm simply curious." this is so cute

He stared at her for what felt like a long time and then he stood up very straight, adjusted his tie, and buttoned his jacket. He smoothed his hair back and then extended his hand to her. She eyeballed it and looked at him with a frown.

"Hello," he said, a big smile on his face. "I'm sorry if I'm a few minutes late. I had a work thing that I couldn't get away from until now. It's Dana, right?" His hand was still extended, waiting for her to take it.

"Oh. Are we doing this?" she asked in a stage whisper, to which he nodded. "My name is Dana, but you can call me Scully," she said, as she took his hand in hers and shook it, flashing him a dazzling smile.

"Scully? That's interesting. I'm assuming that's your last name? I also go by mine, which is Mulder. It's nice to finally meet you," he said, squeezing her hand and then letting it go.

"Well, Mulder," she said, smoothing her hair with her fingers. "I go by my last name for work, what's your reason? Do you have a horrible first name or something?" she asked with a giggle.

He raised his eyebrows at her and his smile grew. "Well, it's rather embarrassing," he said, dropping his head and glancing up at her coyly.

Jesus Christ, she thought, her heart pounding, what were they doing? This was _not _what they did. Flirting with each other had been an unspoken agreed upon no-go area. Since the day in the hallway, they had not spoken of what happened, but let it slide like most things between them. Keep it hidden, never speak of it, until it or something else caused it to blow up, that was how they operated. Now here they were, having a faux date. And flirting, for fuck's sake.

Yeah, this was a _fantastic _idea.

"Go on then, let's hear it," she said, smiling at him, the one she did not show him too often, teeth showing and everything.

He stared at her, his eyes on her smile, his own creeping back on his face. "I'll only tell you if you promise not to laugh," he said conspiratorially, looking around and checking for other people, before looking back at her with his eyebrows raised.

She raised hers back and nodded. He leaned in and put his hand on her hip, pulling her to him. Her mouth went dry and her heartbeat ratcheted up when his mouth landed close to her ear.

"It's Fox," he whispered, his breath warm, causing her to shiver slightly. He pulled back and his fingers squeezed her hip before he let go. She swallowed hard, and she saw the happiness in his eyes.

Oh, that was how it was going to be. Okay, well two could play that game.

She giggled and looked down, before looking up through her lashes. "Well, the name suits you," she said with a quick wink, before smoothing her hands down her blazer, over her breasts and down to her stomach. His eyes traveled along with her hands, and she knew she had him.

"I'm so sorry I wasn't able to change into something nicer for our date, _Fox_, I mean Mulder, but work kept me later than I had anticipated," she said, her hands remaining at her stomach. "I normally don't dress so stuffy for a date. I'd prefer to wear something a bit more .. revealing." He exhaled loudly and she had to bite back a smile.

"You .. it's .. I like what you're wearing," he said, clearing his throat and shifting his weight.

She put a hand on his arm and laughed. "This old outfit? Thank you, you are sweet. How about we go grab a bite to eat? It's finally nice out, would you like to walk to the diner close to here?"

He stepped back and gestured for her to go first and she did, again avoiding the larger puddles of water. They walked the few blocks to the diner not saying much, both undoubtedly thinking they were playing with fire. It was dangerous to be sure, but also deliciously so.

Arriving at the small diner, he held the door for her, smiling as she passed. She felt happy and lighter than she had in recent weeks. Being stuck on background checks, and practically chained to a desk, was enough to make her want to pull her hair out. Yes, they were not _technically_ supposed to be investigating X- Files, but God, it felt good. She may gripe about it, but being in the field, discussing theories, and seeing Mulder's over-exuberance made her happy. _This _was their bread and butter, and hell had she missed it.

"Welcome!" a waitress said as she spotted them. "Glad to see it finally stopped raining, but boy we sure needed it. Sit anywhere you like, not too many people out tonight. Must all be over at the high school, celebrating the reunion. I don't think I've seen y'all before."

"Oh! We're actually on a first date," Mulder said, grinning at her and then putting his arm around Scully's shoulders. She almost jabbed him in the ribs, but the waitress looked at them so happily, she forced a smile.

"Well, aren't you two just the cutest? Come on back, I'll seat you now," she said grabbing two menus and leading them to a table. Scully pushed his arm off and gave him a look. He smiled and shrugged, clearly having a fun time.

"Here we are, you two just give a holler when you're ready," the waitress said as she walked away.

"Thank you," Scully said, sliding into her seat and picking up her menu. She was not too hungry, but maybe a milkshake and fries would be good.

"Get anything you want, money's no object," he said to her, winking at her above his own menu, before disappearing behind it. She said nothing but rolled her eyes when he was not watching.

Deciding on their food, they called the waitress over. Scully ordered a chocolate milkshake and fries and Mulder ordered a patty melt. He told the waitress, with yet another wink and nod toward Scully, that he felt sure she would share her milkshake, so he would just get a water. She laughed and wrote it all down before walking away.

"See? Charming," he said, leaning back and putting his arm on the chair next to him, appearing at ease and happy. Scully shook her head and rolled her eyes.

He perked up, cleared his throat, and smiled at her. "So, tell me about yourself, Scully. What do I need to know about _you_?" he asked with the grin that made her stomach wobble.

"Oh, you know, typical Navy brat. Grew up in many places, have two brothers and one sister, but she has passed. My mother is still living, but my father passed years ago. I'm a medical doctor and an FBI agent," she said, smiling wide at him.

"Wow. An FBI agent. Working on any interesting cases?" he said with a twinkle in his eyes.

"Well, the division I work in, it's kind of different than the others at the FBI. We investigate .. the odd cases. The ones that other people might not find worth their time," she said with a shrug.

"Odd cases? Wow, that sounds interesting. What kinds of cases do you mean?" he asked, leaning forward eagerly.

"Oh, well, at the moment, I'm actually stuck on desk duty. My partner and I have been .. downgraded to background checks and pulled from our regular cases," she said, shaking her head.

"Oof .. that sounds bad. Is it boring? It sounds boring, especially when your other work sounded very interesting," he said, giving her a sympathetic look. "Do you miss the other work?" He stared at her and she knew this was _Mulder_ asking, not the charming date Mulder.

"I do miss it," she said quietly, staring back at him. He took a deep breath and nodded at her as the waitress brought over their food.

They ate, smiling and stealing glances when the other was not looking. Mulder cut one half of his sandwich in half, and put it on her plate of fries, as he grabbed a handful of them and put them on his plate. She smiled at him, picked up the sandwich, and took a bite. He winked at her and then ate his own food.

By the time she had finished her food, she was too full to finish her milkshake, so she slid it over to him. He grabbed the glass with a grin and drank the rest of it. She shook her head and watched him with a smile.

Mulder paid for the bill, making a show of taking out his wallet and putting his card down, while she grinned. They walked back to the high school to pick up their car. Music still reverberated inside, along with cheers and applause. He nudged her and she smiled before they got in the car.

It was a quiet drive back to the motel. Scully looked out the window, the town still wet from all the recent rain. Hoping the motel would have no more catastrophes, she sighed, knowing they _still_ had to share the room. It was not the first time and it would probably not be the last, but this time felt a bit different.

Before she could think about it too much, they pulled up to the motel and parked. Unbuckling their seatbelts, they walked to the door of the hotel room. Deciding to continue with the faux date one last time, she stopped at the door and turned to him, her hand on his chest.

"I had a really nice time tonight," she said looking at him sweetly. "It was fun and the company was enjoyable." He put his hand over hers and held her gaze. She smiled and looked down before biting her lip and looking up again.

"I don't normally do this, especially on a first date, but, would you like to come in? Stay the night?" she said, watching his eyes. She saw them darken and dilate, at the same time she felt his heart rate speed up. She grinned at him before dropping her hand, reaching for her room key, and opening the door. "I mean since all your shit is already in my room .." (omg this is so great)

Turning around, she looked at him and smiled. He swallowed and cleared his throat, before exhaling out a big breath. They both seemed to know that once they crossed the threshold, the pretending was over. He stepped toward her and blocked her in the doorway, making her heart race as he loomed over her.

"I don't normally do this either, but considering the circumstances," he said in a low voice. "I guess I'll need to stay the night, eh?" He pushed back slightly and brushed past her, his body connecting with hers briefly.

_The fucker_, she thought, closing her eyes and taking a breath. She opened her eyes and walked into the room. He was standing in the room taking off his tie and his coat. Turning toward her, he grinned, and she shook her head.

"You want the bathroom first?" she asked, back to being regular old Scully and Mulder, and he shook his head. "Okay, I'm gonna head in then." She grabbed her pajamas and headed into the bathroom.

She looked at herself in the mirror, shaking her head, before stripping out of her clothes. She took a quick shower, brushed her teeth, and put on her pajamas. She blew her hair dry until it was just slightly damp and then left the bathroom, all her clothes in a bundle. She put them in her bag as she watched Mulder sitting on the bed, looking at the same papers from the other day.

"Think about it, Scully, the ability to control the weather because of one's feelings. Unable to control how he felt, it just exploded out. It's pretty amazing, and also sad," he said, looking up at her. "But at least it had a happy ending. I have a feeling this little part of Kansas is going to be a little more _colorful _after today." He waggled his eyebrows at her, and she groaned. He got off the bed with a chuckle and walked past her into the bathroom.

Her clothes put away, she walked to the bed, pulled the covers down, and lay on her side with a yawn. Tired after the last couple of days, she closed her eyes, hoping to get to sleep soon without too much thought of Mulder sleeping beside her.

The toilet flushed and then the bathroom door opened, but she kept her eyes closed. She heard him drop his things in his own bag, and then the bed dipped under his weight, his body close to hers under the covers. She opened her eyes and sighed, knowing sleep was going to be hard to find tonight.

Mulder was quiet, and she could hear every breath he took. As she was about to turn over and lay on her back, there was a thump against the wall. Then another three in quick succession, then two more.

"Are you kidding me?" she groaned quietly, as the thumps continued in the same pattern. She sighed and closed her eyes with a whine.

"Scully, listen. Do you hear it?" Mulder asked, excitement in his voice.

"Yes, Mulder, I hear it. That's the problem. Jesus .." she groaned again.

"No, no. Listen .." he said, sitting up and hitting his hand against the bed in time to the thumps against the wall. She kept her eyes closed as he did it but opened them when he began to speak again. "We will _.. _we will _.. _rock you_. _I'm not crazy, that's their pattern, right? There, it is!"

She sat up and looked at him and started to laugh. He was right, it was that pattern. "It's .. an interesting .. motion. But," she said with a giggle. Mulder started clapping to the beat and then began to sing, loudly.

_Buddy, you're a boy, make a big noise  
Playin' in the street_

_Gonna be a big man someday  
You got mud on your face, you big disgrace  
Kickin' your can all over the place_

_Singin'  
We will we will rock you  
We will we will rock you_

The thumping continued. Laughing, Scully joined him, clapping out the beat of the song, and singing loudly.

_Buddy, you're a young man, hard man  
Shouting in the street_

_Gonna take on the world someday  
You got blood on your face _

_You big disgrace  
Wavin' your banner all over the place  
We will we will rock you_

_Sing it_

_We will we will rock you_

Mulder threw the covers back and stood up. Scully continued to clap out the beat as they sang louder, and he danced around the room. She laughed as she watched him, and he grinned at her.

_Buddy, you're an old man, poor man  
Pleading with your eyes, gonna make you some peace someday  
You got mud on your face_

_Big disgrace  
Somebody better put you back into your place_

_We will we will rock you _

_Sing it_

_We will we will rock you _

_Everybody _

_We will we will rock you_

_We will we will rock you _

_Alright _

Mulder mimed playing the guitar at the end of the song, and Scully doubled over with giggles. A loud pounding was heard on the same wall and they both stared at each other, eyes as big as their grins.

"SHUT UP!" yelled a voice.

"WE'RE JUST ADDING TO THE MOOD!" Mulder yelled back, Scully's giggles now deep belly laughs.

"FUCK YOU, ASSHOLE!" the voice yelled back.

"NO, FUCK YOU!" Scully yelled back, amid her laughter, and Mulder's eyebrows shot up. She shrugged and he grinned.

"ARE YOU DONE?!" he yelled.

"ARE YOU?" Mulder yelled, crossing his arms, his smile happier than she could ever remember seeing before.

"FUCK YOU!" he yelled once more.

"NO, FUCK YOU!" they both yelled simultaneously, staring at the wall, waiting for a comeback. When none came, he leaned across the bed for a high five. She slapped his hand, and they both laughed again.

He laid back down and she followed, both on their backs as they continued to laugh quietly. She was finally able to stop, and she wiped her eyes. No more sounds were heard from the other side of the wall and she heard Mulder let out a sigh.

"Actually, I hope we didn't cause _too _much trouble. For the woman especially," he said quietly.

Scully felt arousal course through her, hearing that his thoughts were focused on the woman's pleasure. She always thought he would be a considerate lover and those thoughts were just confirmed..

_Stop it, Dana, _she thought. _These thoughts are dangerous with him so close to you, after this evening, and this case. Wait until you're home and then think about what that means. How it would feel to be on the receiving end of that focus. Stop it. _

She stayed quiet, hearing his breathing began to even out. God, he could fall asleep so fast sometimes, it made her crazy. There she was, acutely aware of how close he was, how wonderful he smelled, how charming he could be, and apparently how attentive he was to his partner.

_Partner_, _or lover_? She thought with an internal scream. _Which would you prefer, Dana? _

She closed her eyes and was about to turn over and away from him, or maybe go sleep in the car when the backs of his fingers brushed against hers and his pinky locked with her pinky. He said nothing but held tight to her.

She noticed his breathing seemed to have stopped and when she squeezed back, it began again. She turned her head so he did not see her smile. At the same time, as though they had rehearsed it, she turned to her right and so did he, their joined pinkies settling on her left hip. She sighed and closed her eyes, his fingers resting on hers and his breathing slowing close behind her.

She lay there, happy in that moment. No threat or sadness had forced them to seek each other's touch. He reached out because he _wanted _to touch her. He was not pushing for more, not saying anything, and yet they both knew that this was a big step.

Usually, if they had to share a room, they got a cot or there was a sofa. If they _did _have to share a bed, they did not touch, at least not consciously. She had woken with her body close to his, or his arm around hers, but she would shift as soon as she realized it.

This was different. She heard and then felt him fall asleep, his body twitching. Taking some deep breaths, she squeezed his pinky lightly. With a smile, as she began to fall asleep, she tapped out a beat against her pillow with her other hand.

_We will we will rock you_

Yeah, she grinned, one day he would.

After all, he _did_ just make her a pinky promise.


End file.
